Woman dragged to soccer field and raped at knifepoint – attacker gets eight years
A 22-year-old man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for the 2020 rape of a young woman in Sunrise, De Aar, after threatening her at knifepoint and assaulting her on a soccer field.
Image: DFA / Created with DALL-E / Illustration
A YOUNG De Aar woman who endured a terrifying ordeal at knifepoint has finally seen some measure of justice, after her attacker was sentenced to eight years in prison by the De Aar Regional Court.
According to Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Molefi Shemane, the brutal assault took place in the early hours of November 27, 2020, when the then 18-year-old victim was ambushed while walking home in Sunrise, De Aar.
Her attacker, wielding a knife, dragged her to the nearby Macarina soccer field, where he undressed and raped her before fleeing into the night.
Traumatised but determined, the victim sought help from a nearby household and alerted the police. A swift investigation led to the arrest of the young accused, Gavin Hendriks.
Now aged 22, Hendriks pleaded guilty and was sentenced on May 22 to eight years’ direct imprisonment. His name will be added to the National Register for Sex Offenders, and he has been declared unfit to possess a firearm.
The Pixley ka Seme district commissioner, Major-General Nomana Mtukushee, commended the meticulous work of Detective Constable Sivuyile Nogqala from the De Aar SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, whose dedication brought closure to a harrowing case that shocked the Sunrise community.